A Fluffy Bunny Christmas
by TikiPrincess
Summary: Luna sends Christmas presents to her friends in the D.A. (with Easter Eggs for fellow Nerdfighters). This one-shot is a holiday gift!fic for PotterSherlocketc.


**A/N: **Written especially for Sasha! Merry Christmas!

**Disclaimer:** Harry Potter is owned by J.K. Rowling, etc. No infringement intended.

*:*:* **The Burrow** *:*:*

Harry strode towards the house, turning his back on the Minister of Magic. He had hoped that Rufus Scrimgeour would be a welcome change from Fudge, but it seemed that he was just as determined to work against Dumbledore instead of alongside him. Shaking his head, Harry wondered when the Ministry would learn to trust Dumbledore.

"Watch where you're going," said Percy as he barreled past Harry, nearly knocking him over. The whooping cries from inside the house made it clear why he was leaving in such haste.

"Hey, Harry." Bill was taking care of the morning clean up in the absence of Mrs. Weasley, who seemed to have disappeared when Percy left. "You got another present while you were out with the Minister. Ginny and Ron are in the living room opening theirs."

Harry couldn't imagine who else would be sending him a Christmas present. Surely not the Dursleys. They hadn't bothered with a present last year, and he certainly didn't expect one this year. Besides, they would never acknowledge his wizard friends much less send them presents.

When he entered the living room, he saw a small package on the table. It had been wrapped in bunny paper. Not Christmas wrapping with snowflakes and evergreen trees. Fluffy white bunnies hopping around on a pastel background. He shot a questioning look at Ginny and Ron.

"Don't look at us," Ron said, shrugging his shoulders. "Ginny thinks she knows who sent them, but she won't tell me. Wouldn't let me open mine, either, until you got here."

Cautiously, Harry lifted the present. It fit neatly into his palm. He tore back a bit of the paper, revealing a smooth surface, like glass. Unwrapping the rest, he found himself holding a small orb, like a Remembrall, except it was a warm golden color instead of clear or red. A strip of parchment lay around the middle, so he peeled it from the ball and read it.

_I saw this fossilized _draicc uisci _egg, and it reminded me of you. Hope you're having a lovely Christmas! -Luna_

"So, who's it from?" Ron plucked the slip of paper from his hands and read it. "Luna! Is that the snot of a Crumpled-Horny Snork?"

Harry peered at the object in his hand. It was certainly egg-shaped. And there was something curled up in the center of it. "She says it's a _draicc uisci_ egg, but I think it's just a piece of amber. It's pretty cool, though."

"Let's see what Loony Lovegood sent me," Ron said, tearing open his present.

"Don't call her that." Ginny sent him a look, which Ron ignored as he stared at his gift. It was an old, worn beater bat.

Harry could tell that Ron was starting to get upset. The bat was obviously very used, more so than the ones the Weasleys kept in the shed. If Luna hadn't been the one to send it, Harry would have thought this was an insult to Ron about his family's lack of money.

"Hang on, here's the note," said Harry, picking the parchment from the discarded wrappings.

_Ginny told me you like Quidditch. I'm afraid I don't know anything about it, but one of my father's subscribers sent him this after he published a story about their team. -Luna_

"It's just an old beater's bat, Harry. Hang on, there's something written here. It looks like a signature." Ron pulled the bat closer and examined the wood, just above the grip. "No way. This is Ricardo 'Bunsen' Berna's bat! He's a Beater on the English National team. Wait until Fred and George see this!"

Ron ran off to wave his present at his brothers. Harry wondered if Luna realized how unique the gift was. He doubted it, but he was reminded of how thoughtful she was.

"How did you know Luna sent these?" Harry asked Ginny.

"Her Patronus," said Ginny, pointing to the bunny on her present. "It's actually a hare, but bunnies are close enough."

She pulled off the paper and lifted the lid from her box. A bracelet was nestled inside, delicate gold wires looping around and around. There was something very familiar about it.

"I've seen that before. Or something very like it."

"She wore one to Slughorn's party. Except hers was silver." Ginny slipped the bracelet around her wrist. There was a tiny charm inside, a beaded horse. "I saw it when I helped her get ready and told her I liked it. She said she made it herself."

Harry looked away, feeling guilty that he had taken Luna when he really wanted to take Ginny. Then he felt guilty for wanting to take his best friend's sister to Slughorn's party. But when it was just the two of them, like it was now, he could almost forget that she was Ron's sister.

"Thank you for taking her, Harry." Ginny smiled at him, and he felt another twinge of joy and guilt. "She had such a great time. Hermione and I were worried you might have ended up with Romilda Vane after all."

.o0•0o. **London** .o0•0o.

Hermione curled up in an armchair, staring at the fireplace. It simply didn't feel like Christmas this year. It's not that she didn't enjoy being home during the holidays; she loved her parents dearly. It was the fact that she'd spent the last four Christmases with Ron and Harry. Granted, some of those had been fraught with danger, but she'd had her two best friends by her side and always made it through.

"Still having the holiday doldrums, poppet?" Mr. Granger asked. He ruffled her hair affectionately before taking a seat in the armchair across from her. "Don't worry, you'll be back at school in no time."

"Dearie, can't you see? That pensive look isn't about school. You've got boy troubles, haven't you, sweetheart?" Mrs. Granger slipped on her reading glasses as she sat down on the couch, the latest issue of the _International Journal of Paediatric Dentistry _in hand. "Don't you worry. I'm sure that Romanian fellow will write again soon."

"He's Bulgarian, Mum," said Hermione with a sigh. Viktor had, in fact, continued to write, and she'd come to consider him a very good friend. But when she thought of kissing someone, his wasn't the face she saw.

"I almost forgot, a package arrived for you by post." Mr. Granger went into the hallway, returning with an ordinary looking parcel. "Says it's from 'L. Lovegood.' One of your mates from primary school?"

"No, she's from Hogwarts," Hermione said, taking the box from her father. Harry had told her of the letter Ron had sent through Muggle post, and the ridiculous number of stamps the Weasleys had pasted on it. Luna's, however, was neatly written with the correct number of stamps in the proper place. "Although I can't imagine what she would be sending me."

She opened it, revealing another package and an envelope. Setting aside the present, she pulled out the letter and read Luna's note.

_I hope this arrives in time for Christmas. My father complains that Muggle post is not as efficient as owl, but I thought it might be less inconvenient for your parents. _

_My grandfather also enjoyed Muggle things. He told me that _not_ having magic gives them more wonder and the freedom to create their own magic. This is from one of his Muggle friends that he very much admired. -Luna_

"Is it another magic book, dear?" Mrs. Granger asked as Hermione tore off the bunny paper.

"No, it's _Alice's Adventures in Wonderland_." The book was an old leather-bound edition. Flipping open the first page, she found an inscription written there. "And it's been signed by Lewis Carroll!"

She cradled the book in her hands, remembering how she had read it as a child and thought it rather silly to escape into a world where so many illogical things happened. But she had also thought that magic was improbable in this world. Perhaps it was time to read the story again with new eyes.

:}o{: Longbottom Hall :}o{:

"Gran, I can't find the candy I bought for Mum," said Neville, searching through his book bag again. He'd gotten a box of sweets at Honeydukes on his last Hogsmeade visit, but he couldn't remember where he'd left it.

"We'll pick something up on our way to St. Mungo's," Gran said. She entered his room carrying a present. "This just arrived for you. Do you want to open it now, or wait until we get back?"

Neville smiled as he saw the bunnies on the wrapping paper. "I'll open it now. It's from Luna."

"Luna? You mean Xenophilius Lovegood's daughter?" Gran pressed her lips into a thin line. Even though she'd bought _The Quibbler_ featuring Harry's interview, she still disapproved of the magazine and much of its content.

"She's in the D.A. with me, Gran," he said, tearing off the wrapping paper. "Helped me and Harry fight off a couple of Death Eaters last year until she got Stunned."

"Oh," said Gran, her expression changing. "Is she in Gryffindor with you?"

"Nah, she's a smart one. She got sorted into Ravenclaw." Neville pulled out a copy of _Winogrand's Wondrous Water Plants_ and an envelope. "Wow, cool."

Gran smiled at him and said, "Meet me by the fireplace in the living room when you're ready to leave."

"Be down in a few minutes," he said as she left, closing the door behind her.

He opened up his letter, hearing Luna's airy voice as he read her words:

_Dear Neville,_

_I hope you like the book. You mentioned you couldn't find it in the library, so I thought you might want to have your own copy._

_Remember our conversation last year? The way we both felt like we'd been sorted into the wrong House? I was wondering if you still feel that way._

_The other girls don't tease me as much, although I think it's because I'm Harry's friend, not because they've accepted me. They're polite, but they're not nice the way you and Ginny are nice. _

_Sometimes it's hard to remember Professor Lupin's advice. (Did you know Peeves calls him "Loony", too?) Anyways, he heard some of the others calling me that, so he gave me a bit of chocolate and reminded me that the Sorting Hat saw something very special in me, something that makes me unique and awesome in my own way. He said, "Don't forget that, Luna. Don't forget to be awesome."_

_Being a part of the D.A. makes me feel special. Fighting alongside Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and you makes me feel like I belong. It's much easier to be awesome when I've got friends like you._

_-Luna_

Neville carefully folded the letter, tucking it into his pocket.

"We don't have to stop anywhere, Gran," he said. "I've got something I want to share with Mum and Dad."


End file.
